Manchester Firm Blacks Outdoors Walk the Length of Great Britain in Mammoth National Walking Month Challenge.

May is National Walking Month and to mark the occasion, the team at Blacks Outdoors set themselves an ambitious challenge to walk from Land’s End in Cornwall to John o'Groats in the far north of Scotland.

Despite being unable to leave the office to make the journey, with the help of a treadmill at HQ in Greater Manchester, Blacks worked as a team to successfully complete the impressive 874-mile distance throughout the working week.

The challenge aimed to bring awareness to National Walking Month and encourage people to get up and stay active - even those that work in a 9 to 5 desk job.

Although the journey was completed within the 5 weeks of May, feedback from the Blacks team suggests the treadmill might be there to stay.

Speaking about the challenge, Blacks Senior Marketing Executive Neil McRobert commented:

“Although we’re limited to the office space, we’re glad that we didn’t miss out this National Walking Month. It’s been fantastic to see how enthusiastic the team have been to get involved with the treadmill challenge.

“Over 25 members of staff signed up to 30-minute slots over the course of the 5 weeks to reach the 874 miles. We’re pleased to say we smashed the target and we’ve received so much positive feedback from colleagues who can't wait to make the treadmill a permanent feature!”

On their journey the team raised money for the JD Outdoors Group charities, including Salford Foundation, Young Minds and Kidscape.

The Blacks team hope to inspire people to get out and enjoy the outdoors in their spare time, and to encourage other companies in the Greater Manchester area and beyond to help keep staff active and stimulated in what can be restrictive office environments.

The mapped-out route taken by the team including what you’ll need to make the epic journey from Land’s End to John o'Groats can be found on the Blacks blog.

@Blacks_online